Today would have been the 70th birthday of the wonderful singer-songrwriter Steve Goodman. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1984 of leukemia at the age of 36. To honor the day, here are two videos. Two, because of course we have to start with his classic. Here he is when he was a young cherubic fellow singing "The City of New Orleans." And this is how it's supposed to be sung -- And a second video because for all his many strengths as an artist, at the top of the list may well be his skill as a live performer. His albums are wonderful, his studio videos are wonderful, he songwriting, musicianship and singing are wonderful. But when he got on a stage in front of audience, he leaped to another level. I got to see him three times on stage, and they were each memorable. The most memorable was the story I told here before, about going to the Universal Amphitheater when Steven Martin was at his height of maniacal popularity. And Steve Goodman was the opening act. None of the crazed Martin fans wanted an opening act. They were screaming for their hero before the concert even began, many with "arrows" in their head. An opening act??!! No, they wanted Steve Martin, and they wanted him now. But by the end of Steve Goodman's set, he had the 13,000 people in his hands all going crazy for him. In fact, halfway through his set, the guy in front of me (who'd heard me talking about Steve Goodman to my date throughout) turned around and with huge, wide eyes agog shouted out, "Who is this guy??!! He's GREAT!!" He was great. Personal, outgoing, and infectious, with a rich connection to the audience. Here he is on, I believe, Austin City Limits, with two wonderful numbers, "Banana Republics" (one of my favorite of his songs, with some of his most-clever lyrics) and "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over," where he goes into Full Steve mode.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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